Chester County businesswoman recognized by chamber

From left, keynote speaker Susan Jin Davis of Comcast; Female Business Leader of the Year Trish Faidiga; and Marianne Martelli, vice president of the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry; pose for a photo at a dinner put on by the chamber.
Virginia Lindak – FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA

Attendees at a dinner put on by the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry held last week at the Mendenhall Inn.
Virginia Lindak – FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA

The owner of a West Chester commercial property management company has been recognized as the Female Business Leader of the Year.

Trish Faidiga, owner of Advantage Building and Facility Services LLC, was presented with the award by the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry last week for her more than 25 years as a successful and supportive businesswoman.

“For me this honor is tremendous,” Faidiga said at the dinner Wednesday at the Mendenhall Inn. “The chamber has spent so much time and energy developing people and companies, and developing an environment through their government advocacy and education, that it just makes the journey that much easier.”

Advantage is a commercial property management and maintenance company Faidiga started in Chester County 12 years ago. Faidiga also serves on the boards of the Chester County Economic Development Council and the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. Additionally, she is a member of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Philadelphia and several other organizations in the area.

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“The business world is full of talented and dedicated females who not only have successful careers, but they also successfully meet the needs of their families. It’s wonderful to watch that blossom and be nurtured, and see all the positive things happening,” Faidiga said.

Chamber CEO Guy Ciarrocchi noted the event was a great way for people to hear firsthand accounts of female business leaders and their journeys overcoming adversity and achieving success.

“It’s great to have this event and recognize these female leaders. It gives them an opportunity to share their insights and how they rose in their companies, the challenges they face, and the successes they had. Like all successful people, their success is not only in their business, but they give back to the community. It’s a great example for everybody,” Ciarrocchi said.

As guests dined, they were able to meet and mingle with other local businesswomen in attendance. Lori Zyrtkowski, who owns Faunbrook bed and breakfast in West Chester, said she was thankful the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry is so supportive of women in business.

“It’s important for successful women to be honored and noticed, and to spread that word to younger women who may still feel that they can’t go for their dreams or own their own business,” said Zyrtkowski. “We are still a minority in the workforce. It’s important for any woman in business to pay it forward.”

Chamber Vice President Marianne Martelli said the network of businesswomen in the community was important, especially for younger women starting out in the business world.

“It’s interesting because our winners reflect the diversity of the community,” Martelli said. “We’ve honored women from all different industries and backgrounds. It’s encouraging to see what women are doing. It’s really great for our younger females to see the caliber of people here and mentors, and people they can learn from. It’s really about celebrating each other, our strengths, what we have done and what we can do. We can make a difference.”

Keynote speaker Susan Jin Davis, the chief sustainability officer of Comcast Corp., spoke on the benefits of innovation and the continuing advance of environmentally friendly technology. Davis commented she was happy to be a part of an event that honors women.

“I was really honored to be here because this is really about celebrating diversity and ensuring that when we have as many voices at the table as we make decisions and as we build our businesses, we can only be better,” Davis said. “By celebrating women, we’re really sending a signal out that this is a community that embraces differences, diversity, innovation and advancement. That really makes me proud to be associated with the event.”